A crib liner and method of lining an infant crib are provided that greatly reduce the risk of an infant injury resulting from an infant's arm or legs extending through the slats or rails or a crib. The crib liner is provided with a plurality of panels that can have a perforated section and a cushioned section. The plurality of panels may be separated into individual panels by a plurality of stabilizers. The crib liner may be attached to the crib by at least one fastener. The fastener may be located in any area that allows the crib liner to be removably secured attached to the crib.
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1. A crib liner comprising:
a. at least one panel having a top side and a bottom side;
b. at least one vertical stabilizer, wherein said vertical stabilizer is positioned substantially orthogonal to the top side and bottom side of the panel and secured to the panel by a pocket, wherein said pocket and stabilizer are located in the same area along the periphery of said panel;
c. at least one horizontal stabilizer positioned substantially parallel to the top side and bottom side of the panel, wherein said horizontal stabilizer is secured to the panel by a pocket extending along the top side or the bottom side of the panel;
d. a perforated section; and,
e. at least one fastener.
6. A method of lining the walls of a crib comprising:
a. obtaining a plurality of crib liners such that said plurality of crib liners is sufficient to provide at least one crib liner for each wall of said crib, wherein said plurality of crib liners comprises:
i. a plurality of panels, wherein each panel further comprises a top edge, a bottom edge and a perforated section, wherein said top edge is substantially parallel to said bottom edge;
ii. a plurality of vertical stabilizers, wherein said plurality of vertical stabilizers separates the plurality of panels into individual panels, wherein said vertical stabilizers are secured to the panel by pockets extending from the top edge to the bottom edge of the panel, wherein said pockets and plurality of vertical stabilizers are located in the same area along the periphery of said individual panels;
iii. at least one horizontal stabilizer positioned substantially parallel to the top edge and bottom edge of the panel, wherein said horizontal stabilizer is secured to the panel by a pocket extending along the top edge or the bottom edge of the panel
iv. a perforated section; and,
v. at least one fastener,
b. placing one of said plurality of crib liners parallel to one of said walls of said crib,
c. securing said liner to said wall utilizing said at least one fastener; and
d. repeating above steps until each of said walls is fitted with said crib liner.
2. The crib liner of
3. The crib liner of
4. The crib liner of
7. The method of
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This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application 61/498,930 filed on Jun. 20, 2011.
This invention relates to a liner for an infant's crib, particularly a liner that is soft, flexible and breathable, and covers a substantial portion of the inner side and end walls of a crib. The purpose of the liner is to protect the crib user from bumping against the generally rigid side or end walls (e.g. rails) of the crib and prevent the crib user from getting their arms, legs, hands, or fingers stuck between the rails of a crib. In addition, the liner allows air to circulate within the crib and is generally removably positioned relative to the rails of the crib with the aid of fasteners such as ties.
Over the years, crib related safety issues have become a paramount concern due to crib users being injured or killed after becoming lodged between the rails. In order to mitigate these safety concerns, several innovations have been developed.
One such innovation is a crib liner. Typically, the crib liner is constructed of a fabric material that extends along the inner periphery of the side and end walls of a crib thereby preventing the crib user from impacting the rails or becoming lodged between the rails. However, in many cases, crib liners do not have adequate structural support. As a result, the crib liner often sags or falls in the crib and does not fully cover the crib walls, which increases the risk that an infant may lodge their appendages between the crib rails.
These concerns have been addressed through a variety of improvements to crib liners. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,793,368 discloses a crib liner constructed of mesh panel sections. However, this crib liner only provides vertical supports at its corners. Therefore, a need exists for a more versatile crib liner that greatly reduces the risk of infant injury while also having adequate structural support.
The object of this invention is to provide a crib liner and a method of lining the walls of a crib that greatly reduces the risk of infant injury by protecting infants' arms and legs from becoming caught between the rails or slats of a crib while also preventing infants from dropping pacifiers or other items out of the crib. Another object of this invention is to provide a crib liner that keeps sleeping areas cool and comfortable. A further object of this invention is to provide a crib liner that possesses adequate structural support. Additional objects and advantages of this invention shall become apparent in the ensuing descriptions of the invention.
The crib liner includes at least one, but preferably a plurality of panels. Each panel is provided with at least one, but preferably with a plurality of stabilizers, which define the boundaries of the panels and separate the plurality of panels into individual panels.
Each individual panel has a top side, a bottom side, and end sides. The end sides are orthogonal to the top side and the bottom sides. At least one of the plurality of stabilizers may include one or more vertical stabilizers located on the sides of each individual panel. In addition, at least one of the plurality of stabilizers may also include one or more horizontal stabilizers located on either the top or bottom sides of each individual panel. In an alternative embodiment, the horizontal stabilizers may be provided on the top and bottom of each individual panel.
The plurality of panels may also include a cushioned section, a perforated section, and a bottom border section. The cushioned section is secured to the perforated section such that the cushioned section is parallel to the perforated section. The mesh is adequately perforated to allow air to circulate through the perforated section.
Another aspect of this invention is a method of lining an infant crib utilizing a crib liner as disclosed herein. The method comprises obtaining a sufficient plurality of crib liners to provide at least one crib liner for each wall of the infant crib. One of the plurality of crib liners is placed parallel to one of the crib walls of the infant crib. The crib liner is secured to the crib walls by at least one fastener, preferably multiple fasteners. The aforementioned steps are repeated until each wall of the infant crib is fitted with a crib liner.
An embodiment of a side wall crib liner in accordance with this invention is shown generally in
Each individual panel 101a, 101b, 101c has a top side 105, a bottom side 106, and end sides 103. The end sides 103 are substantially orthogonal to the top side 105 and the bottom side 106. At least one of the plurality of stabilizers may include one or more vertical stabilizers, such as boning stabilizers, located on the sides of each panel 103. The vertical stabilizers may be outer vertical stabilizers 102, which are located on the end sides of the crib liner. The vertical stabilizers may also be inner vertical stabilizers 112, which are located on the inner end sides of each individual panel comprising the plurality of panels.
In addition, at least one of the plurality of stabilizers may also include one or more horizontal stabilizers 104 located on the either the top 105 or bottom 106 sides of each individual panel. In an alternative embodiment, the horizontal stabilizers 104 are provided on the top 105 and bottom 106 of each individual panel. The plurality of stabilizers may be secured to the plurality of panels by pockets 111. The pockets are preferably located along the periphery of each panel, and the stabilizers can be located inside the pockets 111.
The plurality of panels may also include a cushioned section 107, a perforated section 108, and a bottom border section 109. If the panel includes a cushioned section 107, the cushioned section 107 is secured to the perforated section 108 such that the cushioned section 107 is parallel to the perforated section 108. In an embodiment of the present invention, the perforated section 108 is secured such that the perforated section 108 is parallel to the cushioned section 107 and below the cushioned section 107 as shown in
The cushioned section 107 may comprise any material capable of protecting the crib user from injuries caused by bumping against crib walls. Suitable materials include, but are not limited to, foam rubber, natural down fill, synthetic down fill, cotton fill, or a combination of the above. In an embodiment of the present invention, the cushioned section 107 may also comprise a layer of fabric over a plush material. The layer of fabric may be an aesthetically pleasing décor fabric. The bottom border section 109 may be fused fabric.
The perforated section 108 may comprise a mesh. The mesh is adequately perforated to allow air to circulate through the perforated section 108. In addition, the mesh material must also be strong enough to withstand forceful contact from an infant. Suitable materials for the mesh material include, but are not limited to, nylon, cotton, lace, and rayon.
The crib liner 100 also includes at least one fastener 110, preferably a plurality fasteners 110. In the preferred embodiment, fasteners 110 may be located at the corners of each individual panel comprising the plurality of panels. The fasteners allow the crib liner to be generally removably and securely positioned relative to the inner walls of the crib. The fasteners 110 are preferably bias ties, but may also include any type of fastener capable of removably and securely attaching the crib liner 100 to a crib.
An embodiment of an end wall crib liner in accordance with this invention is shown generally in
Each individual panel 201a, 201b has a top side 205, a bottom side 206, and end sides 203. The end sides 203 are substantially orthogonal to the top side 205 and the bottom side 206. At least one of the plurality of stabilizers may include one or more vertical stabilizers, such as boning stabilizers, located on the sides of each panel 203. The vertical stabilizers may be outer vertical stabilizers 202, which are located on the end sides of the crib liner. The vertical stabilizers may also be inner vertical stabilizers 212, which are located on the inner end sides of each individual panel comprising the plurality of panels.
In addition, at least one of the plurality of stabilizers may also include one or more horizontal stabilizers 204 located on the either the top 205 or bottom 206 sides of each individual panel. In an alternative embodiment, the horizontal stabilizers 204 are provided on the top 205 and bottom 206 of each individual panel. The plurality of stabilizers may be secured to the plurality of panels by pockets 211. The pockets are preferably located along the periphery of each panel, and the stabilizers can be located inside the pockets 211.
The plurality of panels may also include a cushioned section 207, a perforated section 208, and a bottom border section 209. If the panel includes a cushioned section 207, the cushioned section 207 is secured to the perforated section 208 such that the cushioned section 207 is parallel to the perforated section 208. In an embodiment of the present invention, the perforated section 208 is secured such that the perforated section 208 is parallel to the cushioned section 207 and below the cushioned section 207 as shown in
The cushioned section 207 may comprise any material capable of protecting the crib user from injuries caused by bumping against crib walls. Suitable materials include, but are not limited to, foam rubber, natural down fill, synthetic down fill, cotton fill, or a combination of the above. In an embodiment of the present invention, the cushioned section 207 can also comprise a layer of fabric over a plush material. The layer of fabric may be an aesthetically pleasing décor fabric. In an alternative embodiment, the cushioned section 207 may be constructed of fused fabric instead of cushioning. The bottom border section 209 may be fused fabric.
The perforated section 208 may comprise a mesh. The mesh is adequately perforated to allow air to circulate through the perforated section 208. In addition, the mesh material must also be strong enough to withstand forceful contact from an infant. Suitable materials for the mesh material include, but are not limited to, nylon, cotton, lace, and rayon.
The crib liner 200 also includes at least one fastener 210, preferably a plurality fasteners 210. In the preferred embodiment, the fasteners 210 may be located at the corners of each individual panel comprising the plurality of panels. The fasteners 210 allow the crib liner to be generally removably and securely positioned relative to the inner walls of the crib. The fasteners 210 are preferably bias ties, but may also include any type of fastener capable of removably and securely attaching the crib liner 200 to a crib.
In an alternative embodiment as shown in
In an alternative embodiment as shown in
In another alternative embodiment as shown in
The crib liner may also comprise a platform base configured to connect to the crib liner panels, preferably the bottom of the panes, to form one continuous crib liner that may be placed under a crib mattress and also cover all the walls of a crib.
In another embodiment as shown in
A crib liner in accordance with this disclosure is not limited to a particular crib size. The crib liner can be sized as necessary to fit a wide array of infant beds, such as cribs, cradles, portable cribs, and so forth.
Another aspect of this invention is a method of lining an infant crib utilizing a crib liner as disclosed herein. The method comprises obtaining a sufficient plurality of crib liners to provide at least one crib liner for each wall of the infant crib. One of the plurality of crib liners is placed parallel to one of the crib walls of the infant crib. The crib liner is secured to the crib walls by at least one fastener, preferably multiple fasteners. The aforementioned steps are repeated until each wall of the infant crib is fitted with a crib liner.
Any reference to patents, documents and other writings contained herein shall not be construed as an admission as to their status with respect to being or not being prior art. It is understood that the array of features and embodiments taught herein may be combined and rearranged in a large number of additional combinations not directly disclosed, as will be apparent to one having skill in the art.
There are, of course, other alternate embodiments, which are obvious from the foregoing descriptions of the invention, which are intended to be included within the scope of the invention, as defined by the following claims.
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Executed on | Assignor | Assignee | Conveyance | Frame | Reel | Doc |
Sep 13 2011 | DUNNE, DEBRA | CROWN CRAFTS INFANT PRODUCTS, INC | ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS | 027447 | /0752 | |
Sep 13 2011 | FREEMAN, NANCI | CROWN CRAFTS INFANT PRODUCTS, INC | ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS | 027447 | /0752 | |
Sep 21 2011 | Crown Crafts Infant Products, Inc. | (assignment on the face of the patent) | / |
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